Football



Oct. 27, 192 1 1,559,117

J. E. MAYNARD FOOTBALL Fi led 001;. 1923 oQfiorneysfivenfor: a; hw aznx.

Patented oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ormcs.

JOHN E. MAYNARD, OF PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO THE DRAPER- MAYNARD COMPANY, OF PLYMOUTH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, A CORPORATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.

FOOTBALL.

Application filed October 11, 1923. Serial No. 667,984.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'JOHN E. MAYNARD, acitizen of the United States, residing at Plymouth, county of Grafton, State of New 5 Hampshire, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Footballs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. This invention has for its object to provide a football especially adapted for use in playing the present open game wherein the ball is frequently thrown by hand in the play known as the forward pass. In the execution of this play, it is necessary that the ball be grasped by the end and quickly and accurately thrown, and in wet Weather, when the ball is slippery, it is diflicult to obtain a sufficiently firm grip thereon to accomplish this successfully. In accordance with the present invention, a

football of conventional form is provided at each end with a series of roughened, circumferentially extending lines, preferably formed by stitching, whereby the player is enabled to grip the ball firmly without danger of slipping.

The invention will best be understood from the following description of one form or embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 an end elevation.

The football shown is of the usual generally ellipsoidal form and comprises four longitudinal sections or lenticular gores 10, preferably of pigskin or other suitable stitching 15. The lines of stitching 15 are preferably correspondingly located on the several sections, so as to constitute continuations of each other and form continuous circumferential lines on the completed football at the ends of the latter, and extending thereabout in a direction transverse to its major axis, thereby rendering the ball easy to grasp and enabling the same to be securely held and accurately thrown even when wet.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim: 7 00 A football of generally ellipsoidal form comprising a plurality of longitudinal sections sewed together at their edges to form longitudinal seams, one of said seams having a central opening for the reception of an 55 inflatable bladder, and a series of spaced. circumferential lines of stitching disposed transversely to said seams at the opposite ends of said ball, said series extending from the ends of said central opening to points adjacent the extreme opposite ends of said ball.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN E. MAYNARD. 

